This invention concerns a foldable modular structure for a fast-erecting tent or similar shelter.
The invention relates particularly to tents designed for emergency situations and military use. In this particular type of application, it is required that tents have a relatively small volume when they are disassembled, and that they can be erected and deployed quickly whilst providing shelter capable of resisting harsh weather conditions.
Generally a tent consists of a structure supporting a canvas, said structure being dismountable, and consisting to this effect of a frame assembled by slotting together tubular sections, which may be articulated with each other.
Structures are already known that comprise a succession of parallel roof poles forming trusses, linked two by two by connecting bars notably constituting purlins. These connecting bars are slotted together with said roof poles, and to enable the roof poles to be moved closer together and/or apart, these bars be formed of two profiled section members articulated with each other and lockable lengthwise to form a rigid bar or purlin.
With EP1493886 in particular, a rapidly erectable, modular and foldable structure for tents is known, which consists of an assembly of tubular sections, enabling in particular at least two opposing arches to be formed, linked by at least two purlins, including one ridge purlin. Said ridge purlin in this case consists of the abutment of two profiled sections, each fastened, moreover, at the other end to a ridge part on each of said arches, said end comprising, firstly, pivoting means enabling it to pivot on said ridge part around an axis perpendicular to the plane of the arch, whilst indexing means angularly limit said pivoting and, secondly, pivoting means enable the rotation of said end around a transverse axis parallel to the plane of the arch, in order to enable said profiled section to fold parallel to said arch. The abutment of the two profiled sections of the ridge purlin is achieved by interlocking means capable of immobilising the axial rotation of one section in relation to the other according to the angular positions of the latter defined by said indexing means. Due to the limiting of the rotation around an axis perpendicular to the plane of the arches, of each of the sections in relation to the respective arches with which they are linked, and due to the immobilising of the pivoting in relation of the two sections when erecting the structure, such a structure makes it possible to maintain the ridge purlin formed by the assembly of the two sections in a fixed position.
This system is satisfactory, although it requires relatively precise indexing means to ensure good immobilisation of the pivoting of the ridge purlin without interfering with the abutting operations when erecting the structure.